1898-97.] Mr IX F. Harris on Hcematojporpliyrinuria . 
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Heematoporphyrinuria and its Relations to the Origin of 
Urobilin. By David Fraser Harris, B.Sc. (Lond.) ? 
M.B., C.M. 
(Read April 5, 1897.) 
The chief pigment of normal urine is known as urobilin (seeing 
that this name indicates a relation to “ bile,” “ urochrome ” would 
be a better term, not connoting any view as to genetic relationship). 
The name for the chromogen “urobilinogen” would become 
“ urochromogen.” Other pigments are or may be present in normal 
urine, e.y., the indigo-blue pigment whose ancestor is intestinal 
indol, and “ uroery thim ” genetically related, it is believed, to 
skatol, while, according to some physiologists, traces of “patho- 
logical urobilin ” (which might be better called para-uroclirome) 
and even of hsematoporphyrin are recognisable in healthy urine. 
Certainly, in some morbid urines, urohsematoporphy rin has been 
the chief pigment replacing urobilin, while, in a few very rare 
ones, a pigment allied to it, but, according to JVTMimn, less de- 
oxidised, has appeared. This substance, like urobilin and uro- 
hsematoporphyrin, is a proteid-free, iron-free pigment, as yet 
unnamed. I propose to call it meio-de-oxyhsematoporphyrin. 
Urobilin is amber-coloured, urohsematoporphyrin makes the urine 
of orange tint, while the rarer ally gives it a deep port-wine colour : 
urines containing this last do not decompose for many weeks. 
I lately encountered meio-de-oxyhsematoporphyrin in the urine 
from a case of rare skin-disease, Dermatitis herpetiformis bullosa.* 
Both these hsematoporphyrins have absorption-spectra resembling 
that of alkaline hsematoporphyrin, and each, on the addition of 
strong sulphuric acid, is changed to the characteristic two-banded 
acid-hsematoporphyrin. 
In what way is urobilin related to these rarer and less de- 
oxidised pigments 1 Let us dispose, in the first place, of the 
biliary theory of the formation of urobilin, which is, that bilirubin 
or biliverdin in the intestine is acted upon by nascent hydrogen, 
* M'Call Anderson, Scot. Mccl. and Sur. Jour., Feb. 1897. 
